August 17 2009 by Darrin.

Monday, August 17, 2009, 1031, Nortrux Fuso Dealer, Edmonton, Alberta

Spent the night in the Nortrux parking lot in Edmonton.  Actually, it wasn’t too bad!  No toilets (that they know of), but no problem.  ;-p

Here’s the scoop…  They can’t find anything wrong so far.  The oil level is increasing, and the fuel mileage is horrible, but there’s nothing that they can see or diagnose.  There are no trouble codes on the engine.

I just spoke with the Fuso rep I met in Colorado a few weeks ago.  He thinks that there might be an injection issue, but diagnosing it is pretty impossible on these new computerized nightmares, when the computer says “no faults”.  Today ain’t the first time I’ve heard a similar comment (from a tech here)…  “A diesel should have a battery just in case you’re not parked on a hill.  After she’s running, there’s no need for electricity, eh!  Just when you get it all figured out, they f*** it up again.”

So we’re sitting and waiting for news from MFTA in New Jersey.  It is possible that MFTA authorizes a new set of injectors.  At least that will rule them out.  The guys here can’t change out any parts without authorization, because the computer shows nothing wrong.  Even though it’s getting 60% of the mileage it should be getting (and dropping), and even though it’s got an increasing oil level, protocol seems to dictate that if it’s not diagnosable through the ECU service port, it’s fine.  Let me state here that I understand this.  I’d do it the same way were I in their shoes.  Unfortunately, we’re on the other end of the stick right now.  I know that there’s something wrong, and serious engine damage could result, if it hasn’t been done already.  At the least, a cylinder liner could wash out.  At the worst, well, I don’t even want to think about it.

Anna and I are trying to make a plan, depending on how this all plays out.  If MFTA authorizes nothing, we’re heading home – likely through Jasper, Banff, and Glacier NP in Montana.  There’s NO WAY we’re going away from the MFTA network, or heading up the Dalton with a potentially catastrophic problem.  Breaking down in Alaska with an engine failure would be a serious issue so far from any warranty service center.

If we get a set of injectors (two days away by air), we’ll be heading to Jasper as planned on our alternative course.  We’ll check the mileage, and make a plan from there.  At that point, we’ll be two days behind schedule.  That will mean we have to completely miss Denali, or scrap the Dalton, so we can make the ferry.  The problem with the ferry is that one leg is the only one per month that is a short trip for the dog (9 hours), who must stay in the camper while on board.

Considering that, I’d give it a 70% chance at this point that our trip north is off.  If we scrap it, we’ll likely do the following route home…

Now you have the facts.  Want my feelings?  I am “generally pissed” like you can’t believe.  I used to build on Unimogs, but they were at least 25 years old to be imported into the USA.  It’s a tough sell – hell, it’s tough to trust a 25 year old vehicle on a long journey.  I moved to Fuso because I could use a brand new chassis.  Dealer support, new vehicle, current technology.  And here we sit, at a dealer that at this point can’t do anything.  For a chassis that is 2300 miles old (really, 10% less than that), this is friggin’ ridiculous.  I am soured on this whole business at this particular moment.

To make matters worse, I can’t in good conscience even sell this thing to a customer.  It should be getting around ten.  My last customer is getting a around eight mpg TOWING HIS JEEP!  And we’re getting 6 – 7 mpg towing nothing.   (We just drove 400 km from Calgary to Edmonton on slow range and township roads.  And we used likely around 40 gallons, from the gauge.  That’s 240 miles on 40 gallons, or right at 6 mpg.)

Can I sell a camper to someone, telling them they’re supposed to “drive it until it breaks so it can be repaired”?  Sure, there’s an engine warranty until July of 2014, and the real problem will surely surface by then.  The Fuso rep I met in Colorado told me this morning, “I wouldn’t worry about it.  There are more trucks than you know running around with bad injectors.”  Boy, that sure gives me faith.  Holy crap.

Again, I stress…  I have NO PROBLEMS with Nortrux.  They’re doing all they can.  It’s in MFTA’s hands now, and so far, they haven’t called back in hours.  (Turns out the guy we were waiting for was on a flight.  Good reason!)

Oh well, so much for now.  I’ll shut the PC off, and maybe later we can find some WiFi and post some of this crap.

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August 16 2009 by Darrin.

Sunday, August 16, 2009, 0915, Bentley, Alberta

What a beautiful morning here at the municipal Morrisroe Campground in Bentley, Alberta.  It’s located just behind a gas station, inside the city limits.  We tried yesterday to camp at a couple pretty lakes around here, but the campgrounds were overflowing.  For a couple from Wyoming, it wouldn’t do and we needed to find something more remote.  Believe it or not, we found it in this unlikely place – and got hot showers, flush toilets, and maybe even potable water to fill our tanks with as well.  Here we are…

Yesterday, we diverted from our planned itinerary due to truck problems.  We should be driving by Lake Louise right now, between Banff and Jasper.  However, that fuel consumption I’ve been watching is going DOWN, not up.  Our computations have yielded 7.1 mpg, 7.25 mpg, 7.58 mpg (when I couldn’t completely fill), 7.12 mpg, and the last fill-up in Calgary was a miserable 6.02 MPG!  

The engine is kinda gutless between about 1500 and 2300 RPM.  It’s also kinda noisy at those speeds.  (extra noisy for a diesel)  It starts great, and idles perfectly, though.  At that point, we parked it and I left a “help” message with my old friend Bob, who used to be with Fuso.

While we waited for Bob to call back, I discovered that NorTrux in Edmonton was a fairly close Fuso dealer and I rang them up.  (By the grace of God, my EVDO network worked on the smartphone in Calgary.  It hadn’t before, and it hasn’t since…)  Their Fuso service guy, Tyler, won’t be in until Monday morning, and they suggested I ring them back then.  Screw that – we’re going there!  We might even camp in their parking lot tonight, if there’s anything else around – like toilets.  Otherwise, we’ll be breaking in the Thetford (which we’re trying to keep new should we sell this monster).

Bob called back right away and had discussed some things with another guy at Fuso.  No question, something is definitely wrong.  Their suspicion is that a turbo line could be off.  Things sound okay to me, but the problem may not be audible.  I was thinking an injection problem, but I’d love to find something so simple as a hose that was never tightened, and blew off!  It sure would cause the exact symptoms we’ve been suffering.  It’s be great to gain the power we’ve been lacking AND pick up another >50% better mileage.

However, I just tilted the cab and poked around the engine.  I found a gasket lying there and a coolant leak too both related to the EGR-cooler that was replaced a few weeks back on a service bulletin.  Fortunately, the coolant leak appears to be a simple loose hose clamp…

There’s more.  To my horror, the oil is about 2 quarts over full!  I just changed the factory oil at about 600 miles, and replaced it with fully synthetic Rotella 5W-40 before this trip.  The level was perfect before leaving, so it’s being contaminated by another fluid – likely diesel.  Something is really wrong here!  And we’re almost 1100 miles from home.  AND, this is a BRAND NEW chassis with only 1800 miles on her.  It just goes to show you – if you want it done right, do it ALL yourself.  I built the camper.  It’s working great.  I guess I’ll have to build my own damned chassis next.  Or just quit this whole mess and enjoy life in Wyoming without these self-inflicted headaches.

On a better note, Anna saw a “U-Pick” sign yesterday and we stopped.  They had almost everything – berries, veggies, herbs.  Anna spent an hour picking raspberries and they’re gorgeous…

Today, we’re going to drive by a Dutch family’s cheese farm.  It’s supposed to be award winning.  Likely, we won’t get in on a Sunday, but we’ll try anyway, on our way to Edmonton and NorTrux.

I have no idea when we’ll get to post these entries, but I suspect we’re going to have “a little time” in Edmonton for Internet, laundry, etc…  Fearing the worst, I also figure we’re going to have to shit-can this trip.  I’m always a pessimist, because I can be right, or happily surprised.

More when we know something…

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August 14 2009 by Darrin.

Friday, August 14, 2009, 2110 MDT, Willow Creek Campground

Whew…  Made it to Willow Creek Campground.  Customs was a breeze, no checks, no hassles.  Here we are waiting in line…

One Dutch passport, one US passport, and a set of dog papers later and we were on our way.  We did run into some trouble 1000 meters down the road, when I pulled into the scales as requested by the border guard.  He told us that we should let them know we’re a camper, so we wouldn’t get pulled over by flashing lights.

  What a case of “good cop, bad cop” that was.  The guy was fascinated with the camper, while the gal was really trying to break my balls.  I couldn’t have paid her to crack a smile.  The problem came from my registration on the truck being under my company name.  Even though we’re not doing any business whatsoever in Canada, the fact that the truck is titled to RUF, Inc. means that the Canadians want me to run the scales AND keep a log book.  (And I got lectured about having to do this in the USA too – by freakin’ Canucks!)

Technically, they’re probably right, so I’ll pick up a log book as soon as I fuel at a truck stop.  They promised me that so long as I was not over my hours, and my book was kept properly, I’d be fine. Anyway, we got some funny money in Lethbridge, then stopped at a small grocery store in Claresholm to break a couple 20s for camping money.

It was an easy driving day, but it rained some more.  Now I understand Anna’s apprehension regarding the trip, leaving warm, dry Wyoming.  Absence makes the heart grow fonder.  We’re counting days now.  33 left.  That may sound crazy, but it’s true.  Thanks Dad.  Wish you were here.  We’re both home-bodies and blessed to live where we do.  One in three campsites is occupied here.  There are like 80 people within a square kilometer here.  Creepy.  I hate crowds.  You know my motto / litmus test for how to live: You gotta be able to piss off the porch without pissing off the neighbors!

Charlis’s  sure happy with the trip.  He sleeps between us at night, and in the day rides on my bed…

Tonight, Anna suggested I have some chips and a glass of wine while she made dinner.  She didn’t have to ask me twice!  It was a treat, with an episode of Futurama for entertainment.

To Banff tomorrow…

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August 14 2009 by Darrin.

Friday, August 14, 2009, 0805 MDT, just south of Belt, Montana on HWY 87

We got a late start yesterday, leaving Wyoming around 0730, instead of our planned 0600.  By the time we went to Menard’s, Wal*Mart, Sam’s Club, Safeway, and back to Sam’s Club, we wound up leaving Casper at 1230!

Things were uneventful until we left I-90 in Billings and headed north on 87.  It was getting dark, but the sky was getting brighter!  Our public service scanner’s WX-Alert function warned of the potential for severe thunderstorms with damaging winds and hail.  For the next 150 miles of dark Montana two-lane highway, we watched the sky explode all around us.

About 75 miles in, the rain started and it just poured.  Finding the road was pretty tough at times.  When we finally got to the turnoff for the campground we’d planned on using (Ackley Lake), it was so late that we just kept going and hoped for a rest area around Great Falls.  And here we are!  Right beneath railroad tracks, and next to a weigh station, it’s not the cozy campground we expected, but at 0130 this morning, it sure worked great.

And now, we’re slightly AHEAD of schedule.  I figured we’d be leaving Ackley at 0900, but we’re going to be starting out 62 miles closer to our destination for this evening – Willow Creek Campground in Alberta.  Time to get the passports out.

Papa Frits – I had the first taste of the oude kaas this morning.  Wonderful!  I’m so glad you brought it from Holland, and that we saved it for the trip. Thank you!

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August 12 2009 by Darrin.

Signed, sealed, delivered.  We’re outta here.  The camper’s packed, we have food for WEEKS in the freezers and drawers, and a couple cabinets still empty!  By the time we’re in Ketchikan on the way home, the food will be mostly gone and we’ll be stocking up on halibut and salmon.

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August 12 2009 by Darrin.

We’re packed up, and ready to roll in the wee hours.  All that’s left is to load the PCs and camera gear.  Here’s a last shot from home…

See you from the road.  The long, long road North to the Future.  Sorry - I had to use that.  It’s the state motto of Alaska.  One of the guys on Deadliest Catch thought it was, to the ladies, “Just remember, when you leave Alaska, you’re ugly again.”

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August 9 2009 by Darrin.

Fridge Problem - Solved!   The new Nova Kool is nearly silent, thanks to the German Danfoss compressor.  In fact, all you hear is a small muffin fan running.  It is Kool.  And it freezes 20 oz. of water in a few hours, at 4/7th of its coldest setting.  The Norcold is a smidge larger, and the food storage on the door is more functional, but we’ll gladly compromise for the lack of noise.  In all fairness, the Norcold is a good fridge when functioning properly.  Their current level of customer support, however, sent us packin’.

Cushion Problem - Solded!  Our new upholsterer in Loveland came through and did a great job.  The cushions are a little brighter than we expected in full light.  They aren’t really “navy blue” under flash, as you can see in the shots below.  (LED lighting vs. flash.)

Today, it was pre-trip truck maintenance.  I changed the two-year-old “nearly-new” oil for fully synthetic Shell Rotella 5W-40.  It should be good for the entire 7500 mile journey.  And new oil for the generator too, as it’s been sitting since the summer of 2007, just like the chassis.  There was just 1.5 hours on the little Kubota diesel, and I doubt we’ll use it much on this trip, but I won’t have to worry about acidic oil if it’s been replaced.

The last little projects completed today were:

• the support legs for the sofa extensions (they turn the couches into bunks)
• the back-up ladder mount (the ladder’s for getting into the camper when there’s no room to deploy the stairs)
• power to the amateur radio gear
• an extra cushion behind the seats, for Puppy, or Anna if I’m snoring like a buzz-saw

Here are some random shots of that stuff…

 Mechanically, the vehicle is ready.  I even had a chance to pack up a bunch of tools, and load the rear box with maintenance fluids…

 So what’s this about rattlesnake sex?  Well, full moons like this one a few nights back…

…must put romantic ideas into little reptilian brains!  Anna, her dad Frits, and I were heading to Casper Thursday for the final parts-run.  I don’t know how Anna saw these in the grass next to the road - at 35 mph - but she did.  This is how the Prairie Rattler gets it on…

 Three days to go here.  There’s lots of packing to do, and we have to refresh the planning we did months ago.  See you on the road, or just before.

Posted in AATREC Construction, Alaska 2009 preTrip | No Comments »

July 26 2009 by Darrin.

Click the thumbnail below to view a ~5 minute video (WMV format) from the shake-down cruise last week…

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March 18 2009 by Darrin.

We’ve finally settled on a likely itinerary for the journey!  We know the route, where we’ll camp, where to fuel, etc.  It’s going to be one heck of a trip, and I’m already looking forward to getting safely home.

The numbers in the [brackets] correspond to locations on our maps.  You can browse “The Big Route” below:

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March 8 2009 by Darrin.

We’re about five and a half months from departure now.  Alaska!  It’s something I’ve always wanted to do, and something I think I’ve convinced Anna she wants to do too.

Of course, the first priority is to get the camper finished.  For those who aren’t aware, I build “expedition campers” on big Class VI four wheel drive trucks.  I’m finally building what I hope to be our own camper, and as always, things are running a little bit behind schedule.  The current project is another set of folding stairs for an entry ladder.  You can see how they work in this little video.

Once the stairs are done, I need to put the top coat of paint on the inside of the cabin, install the windows, and get to building the interior.  With luck, I can have the interior finished by the end of May, and get her all wired up and functioning in June.  (Thinking of the work load makes me panic.  No time for blogging…)

On to Alaska…  The goal is Deadhorse and a bus ride to the Arctic Ocean.  Once that’s done, it’s back by Denali.  We’re seriously thinking about the Inside Passage on the way home.  Should we do it?  It saves some road miles and lets us visit Haines, Juneau, Petersburg, Ketchikan, and Prince Rupert.  But our puppy…  He loves going on trips, and loves the campers, but he has to stay in the RV when it’s on the ferry.  And he’s not a puppy.  He’ll turn eleven on this trip.  Can a 77 year old man hold his bladder for nine hours?  We’ll have to see!

I’ll close now with a thumbnail of our currently proposed route…

Posted in AATREC Construction, Alaska 2009 preTrip | 2 Comments »